0:00:00.160,0:00:06.200
Martin: - I am so happy because this is[br]my favorite music instrument of all, my guitar,

0:00:06.400,0:00:10.320
and I have Carlos Montoro here from Anjuda Guitars. [br]Carlos: - Hi.

0:00:10.580,0:00:13.300
Martin: - A guitar luthier. You actually build guitars.[br]Carlos: - Mhm.

0:00:13.300,0:00:17.640
Martin: - Carlos is going to help me repair[br]this guitar, because we have an issue over here.

0:00:17.640,0:00:24.120
Apart from the guitar being really dusty,[br]there's a crack here under the fretboard.

0:00:24.480,0:00:26.760
So Carlos is shining from the backside of the guitar

0:00:26.760,0:00:31.340
and you can see the light goes straight through under the fretboard here.

0:00:31.340,0:00:33.540
Martin: - How does it look?[br]Carlos: - Looks bad.

0:00:33.780,0:00:35.160
Martin: - Bad?

0:00:35.460,0:00:39.960
Carlos: - We need to close the gap.[br]Martin: - And then this string?

0:00:40.840,0:00:46.020
Martin: - Yeah, so if you open it? [br]It goes on this fret when you open it,

0:00:46.020,0:00:47.780
and when you close it, it goes on the nut.

0:00:47.840,0:00:52.560
Carlos: - The string is forcing the neck [br]of the guitar to go in this way.

0:00:52.560,0:00:56.840
So we need a thin strip of sanding paper.

0:00:57.380,0:00:59.380
Martin: - Oh, sweet.

0:00:59.380,0:01:01.680
[background music][br][♪ unreleased/Work ♪]

0:01:01.780,0:01:09.140
Carlos: - Now looking at the dust I made,[br]I can see this clear sand here is from the binding,

0:01:09.420,0:01:14.980
and this more darker is from under the fretboard.[br]You can see the colour matches.

0:01:15.040,0:01:21.040
Now hopefully we don't lose the lacquer.[br]Martin: - Aw, doesn't matter. It tells the story.

0:01:21.100,0:01:23.816
Carlos: - I always say that to my clients.

0:01:23.820,0:01:28.800
"I got a ding in my guitar!" [br]- Oh, come on, let the guitar tell the story.

0:01:28.820,0:01:31.160
Carlos: - Let the... let the time break your guitar.

0:01:31.160,0:01:33.500
Martin: - Ah, so they want you [br]to just make it look old?

0:01:33.500,0:01:34.600
Carlos: - Yeah.[br]Martin: - Huh.

0:01:34.600,0:01:37.040
Carlos: - Exactly.[br]Martin: - Oh, that's cheating.

0:01:37.820,0:01:39.480
Carlos: - Exactly.

0:01:48.360,0:01:51.040
Martin: - Just what the doctor ordered.

0:01:51.280,0:01:55.780
[music in foreground]

0:02:08.880,0:02:12.760
Martin: - So Carlos explained to me that[br]he wanna make a special clamping technique.

0:02:12.760,0:02:13.700
Carlos: - Mhm.

0:02:13.700,0:02:16.920
Martin: - That we don't want to clamp[br]the fretboard down to the neck,

0:02:16.920,0:02:21.960
but you want to clamp the neck up to the[br]fretboard, to not bend the fretboard.

0:02:22.180,0:02:29.040
Carlos: - Correct. So this way hopefully,[br]with the zip ties, we will get that.

0:02:30.160,0:02:32.960
Martin: - So I asked Carlos:[br]"Do you have enough glue in there?"

0:02:32.960,0:02:35.300
And he was like, [br]"the glue is supposed to spread",

0:02:35.300,0:02:38.080
and now it's spreading evenly everywhere.

0:02:38.080,0:02:41.560
So I'm always using way too much glue on everything.

0:02:41.700,0:02:44.540
Carlos: - And you know what? We can't go with too much glue

0:02:44.540,0:02:47.060
because the truss rod is just in the middle of the neck.

0:02:47.060,0:02:47.760
Martin: - Okay.

0:02:47.760,0:02:52.480
Carlos: - So we need the truss rod to keep[br]moving so the guitar can be adjustable.

0:02:52.680,0:02:54.740
Carlos: - I feel good about this.

0:02:54.980,0:02:59.460
So now that we have the glue setting and drying,

0:02:59.460,0:03:04.080
we are going to move the truss rod, often.

0:03:05.140,0:03:11.520
And hopefully, the truss rod will not be[br]glued with the fretboard and the neck.

0:03:11.520,0:03:16.440
Martin: - Yeah, so the truss rod is like a long bolt[br]that goes through the whole neck of the guitar.

0:03:16.440,0:03:18.440
It goes all the way down here?[br]Carlos: - Mhm.

0:03:18.480,0:03:21.300
Martin: - And it can adjust the tension[br]of the neck.

0:03:21.300,0:03:23.340
So often when you repair your guitar,

0:03:23.420,0:03:25.320
you always check the truss rod.

0:03:25.320,0:03:29.970
Carlos: - You always check the truss rod,[br]always, and you adjust the truss rod always.

0:03:29.970,0:03:35.980
Carlos: - So this is a truss rod. There are several types [br]but they all work more or less the same.

0:03:36.080,0:03:39.340
As you can see, this is a neck, work in progress.

0:03:39.340,0:03:44.120
This is just rough cut and here is a slot in the wood.

0:03:44.220,0:03:51.720
So pretty easy to place the truss rod in the slot [br]and then glue the fretboard on top of it.

0:03:51.840,0:03:58.420
All the truss rods have some way to actuate them.[br]In this case it's with this four millimeters allen key.

0:03:58.500,0:04:05.840
So you insert it, turn it clockwise, and, [br]as you can see, a bow is generated in the truss rod.

0:04:06.440,0:04:10.520
So when the fretboard is in place,[br]all the neck is forced to bow as well.

0:04:10.820,0:04:14.600
Carlos: - Do you know, how do we [br]call the truss rod in Spanish?

0:04:14.600,0:04:15.620
Martin: - No.[br]Carlos: - The soul.

0:04:15.620,0:04:16.740
Martin: - The soul?

0:04:16.740,0:04:18.940
Carlos: - The soul.[br]Martin: - Wow, that's beautiful.

0:04:19.140,0:04:21.780
Carlos: - Yeah, it's the perfect name for that,

0:04:21.780,0:04:26.080
because indeed it's something that is hidden in between,

0:04:26.160,0:04:30.900
and when the truss rod is not workable,[br]you don't have guitar at all.

0:04:30.900,0:04:32.520
It's like, dead guitar.

0:04:32.520,0:04:35.420
Martin: - Happening with no soul.[br]Carlos: - No soul.

0:04:35.600,0:04:40.480
Martin: - But Carlos, it doesn't sound so good.[br]Carlos: - Oh, it takes time.

0:04:40.780,0:04:42.920
Martin: - The glue needs to dry first?

0:04:42.920,0:04:46.260
Carlos: - How long hasn't you used making the MMX?

0:04:46.280,0:04:49.200
Martin: - Don't rub it in!

0:04:49.200,0:04:52.220
[playing a riff on muffled and detuned guitar]

0:04:54.580,0:05:01.480
Carlos: - You know you are in front of a musician[br]when they can do music with just anything.

0:05:02.400,0:05:05.800
Martin: - Do you call it music?[br]Carlos: - It can be.

0:05:06.280,0:05:11.220
We let this dry for today, [br]so I think it's time to untie it.

0:05:11.300,0:05:14.160
Martin: - During these days, I got to know Carlos better,

0:05:14.160,0:05:17.380
and Carlos told me that when you meet a customer,

0:05:17.600,0:05:22.560
you focus more on the relationship between[br]the customer and the customer's guitar,

0:05:22.580,0:05:24.120
than the guitar itself.

0:05:24.120,0:05:28.760
Carlos: - Yeah, you're a musician and you know[br]that musicians can get very close to their instruments,

0:05:28.980,0:05:35.340
and they feel like very personal for them.[br]For them is like to go to the doctor.

0:05:35.340,0:05:36.220
Martin: - Yeah.

0:05:36.340,0:05:39.940
Carlos: - You know, do you have your[br]doctor that you are confident with?

0:05:39.940,0:05:41.660
Martin: - Yeah.[br]Carlos: - It's the same with luthiers.

0:05:41.660,0:05:46.560
Martin: - Yeah. Even if it's [br]a cheap, kind of bad guitar,

0:05:46.560,0:05:52.300
you treat it with the same respect as if it's [br]a vintage hundred year old guitar,

0:05:52.300,0:05:56.740
because of the emotions that[br]the customer has for his instrument.

0:05:57.120,0:06:01.552
Carlos: - The price is not of the instrument. [br]It's not in the money.

0:06:01.552,0:06:04.420
It's in the customer's relationship with it.

0:06:04.540,0:06:08.940
Martin: - That's beautiful. It's[br]exactly how I feel with this guitar,

0:06:08.940,0:06:14.340
because now when I see it on the operating table,[br]I realize how much it means to me,

0:06:14.440,0:06:16.880
and that I've been taking it for granted,

0:06:16.880,0:06:20.840
and putting it just against walls and letting it fall.

0:06:21.200,0:06:23.500
[testing strings with clear tone]

0:06:23.600,0:06:26.720
Carlos: - Yeah. It seems we did it.

0:06:27.480,0:06:31.100
Now it's time to give love to this thing.[br]Martin: - Okay.

0:06:31.340,0:06:34.260
Carlos: - Before the love, there's always the fight.

0:06:37.000,0:06:42.020
[music in foreground][br][♪ unreleased/Helping Out ♪]

0:06:50.240,0:06:52.420
Carlos: - Secret formula.

0:06:52.820,0:06:54.800
- Mhm.

0:06:58.780,0:07:01.280
Martin: - Mhm, oh my...

0:07:02.820,0:07:05.220
Carlos: - Alright, isn't it?[br]Martin: - Oh wow.

0:07:09.480,0:07:12.460
Martin: - I didn't know it was black.[br][laughs]

0:07:15.160,0:07:17.240
[music fades]

0:07:17.280,0:07:22.620
Martin: - I mean, who does this to his guitar,[br]when you can just buy a strap lock?

0:07:22.620,0:07:24.620
[chuckles]

0:07:25.600,0:07:27.820
[strums guitar strings] [br]Martin: - Check out this guitar!

0:07:27.820,0:07:31.980
Carlos built this beauty. [br]It has a bookmatched... maple?

0:07:32.000,0:07:34.480
Carlos: - Maple, yeah.[br]Martin: - Why is it so cool?

0:07:34.660,0:07:40.980
Carlos: - Because this is actually[br]the figurine of the wood itself.

0:07:41.080,0:07:46.040
Martin: - It looks like a blue tiger.[br]Carlos: - Yeah, it's called flame maple actually.

0:07:46.160,0:07:52.520
[guitar music][br][♪ unreleased/Jamming with Carlos ♪]

0:08:23.720,0:08:25.580
[ends with pronounced bass note][br][laughing]

0:08:25.640,0:08:27.860
Martin: - I love it, it's nice!

0:08:29.640,0:08:34.440
Martin: - I can't believe, you... you built something like this.

0:08:34.440,0:08:36.080
Carlos: - You tell me?

0:08:36.840,0:08:38.660
Martin: - Ah, yeah.

0:08:39.420,0:08:43.120
Martin: - Ok, should I try if the guitar is finished?

0:08:43.120,0:08:45.040
[strums chords]

0:08:45.040,0:08:46.740
Oh wow, new strings!

0:08:46.940,0:08:48.240
Honey, I'm home!

0:08:49.240,0:08:50.240
Ooooh!

0:08:50.460,0:08:57.800
Carlos: - I didn't make any adjustment,[br]but I think it is good as it is, like this.

0:08:59.640,0:09:02.920
[Martin playing a blues line]

0:09:06.440,0:09:08.380
Martin: - It's so beautiful!

0:09:08.980,0:09:12.100
[playing rhythmical chords]

0:09:12.320,0:09:14.680
I can only play bossa nova, apparently.

0:09:14.680,0:09:16.680
[laughing][br][jamming ends]

0:09:16.680,0:09:17.860
[background music][br][♪ unreleased/Helping Out ♪]

0:09:17.860,0:09:22.440
Martin: - Ok, so Carlos is now adjusting[br]the bolt that goes through the whole neck

0:09:22.440,0:09:25.100
and you're going to go to an extreme position?[br]Carlos: - Mhm.

0:09:25.100,0:09:27.440
Martin: - ...where the strings are too low?[br]Carlos: - Too low.

0:09:27.440,0:09:29.820
Martin: - and then we go up until it's playable.[br]Carlos: - Yeah.

0:09:29.820,0:09:30.800
Martin: - Ok.

0:09:30.920,0:09:34.540
Carlos: - So, we are going to check [br]the straightened of the neck.

0:09:34.740,0:09:36.800
Martin: - And how does it look now?

0:09:37.040,0:09:39.840
Carlos: - This, it look a little bit bad.[br]Martin: - Ok.

0:09:39.840,0:09:43.240
Carlos: - So it seems that we can[br]straighten the neck a little bit.

0:09:43.240,0:09:46.540
Martin: - Ok. So now you're going clockwise

0:09:46.540,0:09:50.520
to get the ramp to force the neck[br]down towards the table here.

0:09:50.600,0:09:52.820
Carlos: - Mhm.[br]Martin: - So bend like that.

0:09:53.640,0:09:58.740
Carlos: - So, you know that you have gone[br]too far with the truss rod tightening

0:09:59.000,0:10:02.620
when it starts to buzz on the first frets.

0:10:02.620,0:10:05.140
[guitar makes buzzing sounds]

0:10:08.440,0:10:09.700
Not good.

0:10:09.760,0:10:13.120
Martin: - Okay, so then you have to give more relief?[br]Carlos: - Yeah.

0:10:13.120,0:10:16.829
Martin: - So it's a compromise between [br]easy to play and no buzz.

0:10:16.829,0:10:18.520
Carlos: - Yeah, exactly.

0:10:18.520,0:10:20.520
[much less buzzing]

0:10:20.560,0:10:25.640
Still a little bit of buzz, but it is something[br]that some players can handle good.

0:10:25.760,0:10:27.360
Martin: - Can I try?

0:10:27.580,0:10:31.420
Martin: - Does it work for bossa nova?[br]Carlos: - Yeah, smoothly.

0:10:31.660,0:10:34.120
[jamming]

0:10:34.320,0:10:35.900
Martin: - This feels better.

0:10:42.940,0:10:44.680
Carlos: - You see the buzz there?

0:10:44.680,0:10:47.300
Martin: - It's only on that note actually.[br]Carlos: - Yeah.

0:10:49.360,0:10:51.820
Martin: - I don't like F anyway.

0:10:51.940,0:10:55.400
Can we make a tiny adjustment to higher,

0:10:55.400,0:10:59.700
because this is very, very easy to play? [br]It feels very good though.

0:10:59.700,0:11:03.240
Carlos: - I'd say that we should loosen a little bit more.

0:11:03.480,0:11:05.840
Martin: - Yes. Here we go.

0:11:10.160,0:11:11.120
Yes.

0:11:13.220,0:11:16.660
Carlos: - When you have this set up, in guitars,

0:11:16.660,0:11:23.540
and then it's... at that point is when it's important[br]to check out the guitar in winter and in summer,

0:11:23.540,0:11:25.940
because now it will be affected by the weather.

0:11:26.060,0:11:29.620
Martin: - Ok. Because it's so tight.[br]Carlos: - Because it's so tight.

0:11:29.820,0:11:33.460
Martin: - But how can I learn to play[br]something else than bossa nova?

0:11:33.460,0:11:35.660
Can you solve that for me?[br]Carlos: - You tell me!

0:11:36.080,0:11:39.449
Martin: - I actually asked Carlos...[br]I want the strings lower,

0:11:39.449,0:11:41.920
and I thought I was having to put this down.

0:11:41.920,0:11:43.300
Carlos: - Yeah.[br]Martin: - But you didn't touch this.

0:11:43.300,0:11:48.340
Carlos: - Yeah, it's the first thing that people[br]should suggest: to touch the bridge,

0:11:48.500,0:11:53.160
and actually it's more important to touch[br]the truss rod and have it in the right position

0:11:53.160,0:11:56.260
and then you can go to the bridge if needed.

0:11:56.540,0:11:59.668
Martin: - Carlos, an amazing experience

0:11:59.668,0:12:04.300
seeing you work with my baby guitar. [br]Thank you so much!

0:12:04.360,0:12:07.980
Carlos: - Thank you! Thank you so much for[br]bringing me here

0:12:07.980,0:12:12.400
and work here with the bass and the MMX. [br]It was just wonderful!

0:12:12.400,0:12:19.840
Martin: - My pleasure. It's so fun to have[br]expertise company in the workshop

0:12:19.860,0:12:25.800
and as I've said a lot of times, I learn[br]so much more seeing someone work in real life

0:12:26.060,0:12:30.840
than just trying to find information [br]on the internet. So, that's lovely.

0:12:30.900,0:12:35.500
And, it feels like, I've been [br]building for like three years,

0:12:35.860,0:12:39.880
and a little bit this feels like a little start[br]for my music again.

0:12:39.880,0:12:41.560
So it means very much to me.

0:12:41.560,0:12:45.660
[intense music][br][♪ unreleased/My Dream Snare Sound - Full ♪]

0:12:49.460,0:12:52.940
These videos are brought to you by our backers

0:12:52.940,0:12:55.300
through youtube channel memberships or Patreon.

0:12:55.340,0:12:58.660
Thank you so much everyone [br]who are supporting and thank you

0:12:58.660,0:13:03.031
for believing in this crazy dream [br]that is the Marble Machine X.

0:13:03.040,0:13:05.860
Thank you so much for watching.[br]See you on the next one!

0:13:05.860,0:13:08.680
Martin: - You're not happy yet. [br]You want to tweak it more.

0:13:08.740,0:13:11.460
Carlos: - Yeah.[br]Martin: - Ok. Love it!